Halle Berry reveals how being a model hindered her growth

Halle Berry recently got candid and shared how her career choice affected her growth.

In a conversation with W Magzine, Berry said she had to beg to be taken seriously because of her modeling and beauty pageants background in the earlier part of her career.

She revealed that she “deliberately” stepped down from playing "the gorgeous girl" at the start of her career because of this very reason.

Berry articulated, "I came from the world of beauty pageants and modeling and right away when people heard that, I got discounted as an actor."

"So, I had the job of trying to eliminate that part of my persona. And I took on roles early on that really didn't rely on my physical self at all, and that was a good way to sort of get some credibility within my industry," she added.

The Moon Fall star also confessed that she convinced director Spike Lee for the drug-addict’s role in Vivian in 1991's Jungle Fever by removing all her makeup.

Recalling her memory, the 58-year-old actress said, "I read that part fine enough, but then I said to Spike, 'You know, I really am eyeing this c**** h* role, can you please let me audition for that? And he said, 'No, no I don't see you as the crack ho.' I said, 'I am the c**** h*. Really, deep down I'm the c**** h*!'"

“And I said, 'Let me go in the bathroom, wash all this makeup off; you will see the crack ho.'"

‘So, he let me do that and I came back out and I got to read the c**** h*, and I got the part of the c**** h*. And it was an amazing way to start my career, playing a c**** h* and be directed by Spike Lee. It was major for me," she concluded by saying.